The new $350 million Hudson County courthouse, known as the Frank J. Guarini Justice complex is nearly complete about four-and-a-half years after it was first discussed, with the media given a tour of the building today.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
According to Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) CEO Norman Guerra, the project will cost about $350 million once finished, all things considered, as well as that a Certificate of Occupancy was issued 4 months earlier than expected.
Guerra said Guarini, a former congressman and developer who is now 100 years old, toured the building recently.
“I am very proud, humbled and grateful to have this beautiful courthouse named after me. This is truly one of the highest honors of my lifetime and I am thank to everyone who made this possible,” Guarini said in a statement.
Back in 2020, the county had sought bid that were under $300 million, but that ended up not being feasible.
Hudson County Deputy Administrator David Drumeler led the tour, beginning by noting that this will replace the Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Ave.
The new justice complex, which will replace the outdated Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Avenue, and he described it as “a generational infrastructure investment that is the largest local public works project in the State of New Jersey.”
The new building is 118 feet, or five stories, high, that includes a 406,000 square-foot courthouse.
The facility has a 195,000-square-foot parking garage with 459 employee parking spaces, along with 40 spaces reserved for certain jurors.
The complex houses 24 courtrooms, including two civil, 10 criminal, and 12 family courtrooms, hearing and mediation rooms, as well as grand jury, and jury assembly spaces.
Courts Administration, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s and Sheriff’s Office, as well as the county surrogate’s office, will also have space in the building.
Drumeler said construction would be finished between Thanksgiving or Christmas, therefore it’s possible some courts could move in during January. Family and criminal courts will move in first in a staged process to not disrupt court procedures, he indicated.
Drumeler noted that defendants could easily be kept separate from the judiciary staff and the public.
“595 is full of problems and that’s the biggest problem,” he explained.
Drumeler noted that the new building has three distinct walking corridors for the judiciary, defendants, and the public that come in via three distinct entrances.
He continued that the old courthouse has severe leaks and asbestos in the ceilings.
The new building is unique since huge beams suspend the fourth and fifth floors, with Drumeler pointing out that a lot of equipment was put on top of the roof to prevent flood damage.
Additionally, part of the building can be shut down while some prisoners can be safely held there over the weekend and the building was designed to comply with high environmental LEED standards, which the Jersey City Planning Board approved in March 2021.
He also showed the model courtroom has walls designed to absorb sound to prevent any crowd noise being a distraction from the proceedings.
Conversely, the judge’s podium is designed to project sound, Drumeler said,, via an acoustic design with a harder surface behind it. There is also state-of-the-art video equipment There are also new family mediation rooms that will be nearly soundproof.
Drumeler added that the glass is bulletproof to prevent snipers, while the judge’s chambers have built-in video-audio equipment for virtual meetings.
He explained that those who are hard of hearing will be able to get Bluetooth headphones if they need them.
“We try to make as many ADA accommodations as we we could,” Drumeler said, also stating that there will be a cafe with 75 seats that will be run by a private entity.
At its peak, 509 union laborers worked on the complex, which Guerra said was an entirely union labor project.
He added that about 32 percent of the building construction contracts went to minority and women-owned contractors.
Furthermore, Drumeler noted that the Brennan Courthouse is undergoing a significant renovation of its exterior, stating that he old building site will feature a new park once it’s demolished.
